ISANG seremonya ang ginanap kahapon sa loob ng Camp Rafael Ramos Naval Base, ng Naval Forces Central sa Lapu-Lapu City, sa pormal na pagsisimula sa anim na araw na Exercise Kadagatan 2023.
Ito ay taunang kasanayan ng mga maritime agencies na pinangunahan ng Naval Forces Central ng Philippine Navy sa Cebu.
Katuwang ang iba pang ahensiya tulad ng Coast Guard District – Central Visayas, Maritime Police Station, Regional Maritime Unit 7, BFAR 7, PDEA 7, Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Quarantine, Marina 7, DENR 7 at OCD 7.
Ayon kay Commodore Florante Gagua, commander ng Naval Forces Central, ang pakikipaglaban sa terorismo at iba pang panganib ay hindi lang trabaho ng isang ahensiya ng gobyerno bagkus ito ay sama-samang puwersa upang masugpo ang mga problema sa lipunan.
“Nowadays, combating challenges especially counter terrorism and HDR involve not only one agency but we need to collaborate with each other we have to deal those challenges with different agencies so that why we are here to have inter-agency participation, jointness in all combat challenges at sea even at shore, we need to collaborate of course in support to the local government because sometimes the local government needs support also in combating challenges at the same time the Navy and the other agencies needs support from the local government. That’s why we are so happy that the mayor is here with us as our guest of honor,” ayon kay Commodore Florante Gagua, PN – Commander, Naval Forces Central.
Ani Gagua, ang naturang Exercise Kadagatan 2023 ay may apat na bahagi.
“The exercise is compose of 4 phases, the preparation phase, 2nd the shore activities. They have to practice muna… they have to do some exercises… some other experts like chores like that, then after that, we have the 3rd phase at sea, we will have exercises at sea, they have different activities like board and search, vessel board and search like that. We have formations and counter drugs, we have also na tinatawag na wasar, search and rescue and other activities depende on the experts like the coast guard safety ‘yung sa kanya, yung mga oil spill ganun, like to the navy, they have for vessel search and rescue and of course hopefully by next time we will also involve the DRRMO of our Mayor (Chan),” dagdag ni Gagua.
Ayon din kay Captain Raul Regis, Deputy Commander ng Naval Forces Central, magkakaroon ng iba’t ibang mga scenario sa naturang exercise tulad ng oil spill at iba pang mga panganib na maaring mangyari sa hinaharap.
“And the 3rd scenario will be, HDR this time we’ll be involving coast guard, their expertise on search and rescue and the other agencies… oil spill, there’s a grounded vessel, we will be creating this scenario, that how these agencies will react, cooperate, to rescue distress passengers and contain oil spill. We experience that during the Typhoon Odette, this activity is design to counter emerging threats that we can encounter in the near future,” saad ni Captain Raul Regis, PN – Deputy Commander, Naval Forces Central.
Nagpapasalamat naman si Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan, dahil malaking tulong ang exercise sa kaniyang siyudad maging sa buong Visayas.
“It a big help to us especially in the city of Lapu-Lapu and the entire Visayas area,” ani Mayor Junard Chan, City Mayor – Lapu-Lapu City.
Ngayong Hunyo 30, inaasahang sisimulan ang SEA Exercises ng mga ahensiya na kasama sa Exercises Kadagatan 2023, iba’t ibang mga simulation ang magaganap upang mas mahubog pa ang kasanayan at kahusayan ng mga tauhang sakop ng mga maritime agencies.